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Memories do not vanish

It has been three months since I last saw my mother. She died on November 28 after a brave fight against cancer. Like millions of others before her, she was aware that her foe was unconquerable. For, her enemy was not another entity. It was her own body. As she struggled her way through one chemotherapy session after another, I felt I was getting agonizingly closer to my greatest fear coming true. And it did on that fateful Friday afternoon. A day has not gone by without remembering her, since then. There is a reason, I believe, we are endowed with the power of memory. This is nature's own way of helping us come to terms with a loss. The happy times are inscribed in every neuron of our brain. So much so that they flash by like reality more frequently than we expect. Laughter, tears, anger and happiness, the emotions of a distant past do not seem so distant at all. We could dismiss these flashes momentarily and move on to the present. But the past doesn't vanish. It fades as the waves of time cleanse it slowly. But it never dissolves completely, sandwiched as it is between the walls of our memories. And strikingly, when it is about a deceased loved one, the happy past always leads to a melancholic present as we crave to relive those moments. These memories can, sometimes, turn out to be too real. I feel my mother's touch in every aspect of my life. That is how it was when she was alive. I went to her to sort out all my troubles-- for comfort in times of failure, for encouragement when I slip and lose, and on occasions without any reason at all. Mothers, I understood, do not look for a reason to hear their children babble. That touch is still present. For example, when I taste a dish she was good at making, there is that natural urge to compare. Invariably, I realise no one makes it like Amma does. I drop the food back on the plate and wait for the memories to pass. They flood my taste buds, as I yearn for the hands that made small balls out of rice and fed me with a bright smile in my childhood. I learnt, to my despair, that devoid of love, food is but a lump of dirt.

But it is human tendency to move on. That is how we survive.

I pick up my plate again and finish the food that lacks affection....

Are campus protests on the wane because of finicky recruiters?

Sruthisagar Yamunan Today marks the 23rd anniversary of the Tiananmen Square protests that shook China in 1989. Though finally suppressed by a bloody, military offensive, the largely students-led protests became a watershed moment in world history and showcased student power. In Tamil Nadu, student associations have been instrumental in ushering in great political change. Many fiery Dravidian leaders honed their skills of rhetoric on college campuses, the most popular of them being former Chief Minister C N Annadurai, who was a student of Pachaiyappa’s College in Chennai. Student bodies also came to the forefront during the anti-Hindi agitations of 1965 and later in the 1970s in opposition to the Emergency, when scores of students were jailed for their defiance. But times have changed. Experts point out that socio-political and economic changes have affected the nature of activism in colleges. Student activism has moved from that surrounding a public issue-based action to a more self-centred form of dissent. According to M Mohammed Ibrahim, the Head of Department of Chemistry at Presidency College, not a single protest of note for a common cause has taken place on the campus in the last decade. This is in contrast to the college’s rich tradition of dissent. “There is a marked insensitivity towards social issues in the current generation. The idea of the protest itself, irrespective of the cause, as a form of indiscipline has permeated the student class and this flows from their homes where they are brought up in a cocoon,” Ibrahim opines. Others point out that the loss of patronage for the social sciences has had a direct impact on the awareness of students. “It is only when you read subjects like history and sociology that you get a context (to developments). Most students today live in the moment and hardly understand the significance of developments around them,” says M S Varadarajan, a 68-year-old retired professor of history. The hugely popular engineering courses hardly provide an orientation towards social awareness, he observes. A look at the instances of campus protests over the past six months in Chennai indicates that 90 per cent were over issues related to canteen and hostel services. Except for Loyola and RKM Vivekananda Colleges, where students came together to urge India to vote for a UN resolution against Sri Lanka, there were not many demonstrations for common causes. Unionist and MLA A Soundararajan says the regimentation that happens in colleges today discourages students from looking at diverse issues. “A well paid job is seen as an end result of education. This regimentation has ensured that college students are becoming like school students who have been asked to keep a finger on their lips,” he says. Activist Nityanand Jayaraman says forums for speaking out in professional educational institutions have become non-existent. Therefore, students get only one side of the picture on any issue. Students say that the outlook of recruiters who visit campuses are a big discouragement for any social action as they expect impeccable records. However, students disagree with the view that they are not aware of issues. “We do have insights on what happens in society. It is only that mobilisation has become difficult,” they say.

'All NCERT textbooks should be reviewed'

Sruthisagar Yamunan

CHENNAI: In a fresh set of demands following the Ambedkar cartoon controversy, VCK chief and MP Thirumavalavan on Friday said the SK Thorat panel should go beyond just reviewing cartoons and must revisit contents in all NCERT text books.

In an interview to Express, he also urged that henceforth, all committees appointed to frame syllabus for school and college curriculum have a Dalit as member to avoid such “insensitive material” getting into textbooks.Thirumavalavan said contents in the political science chapters, that has come under severe criticism from Dalit parties, “seem to be ideas of a select few”, who framed the curriculum.

“What the members felt right had been included in the book. I do not think there was much consultation,” said the VCK chief, who met HRD Minister Kapil Sibal recently and submitted a list of demands.

Rejecting the view that the whole controversy was raked up for political mileage, given the fact that the cartoon had not caused any heartburn when it was released in 1949, he said the image of Ambedkar itself has changed in the last 60 years. “In those days he (Ambedkar) was seen as an intellectual and a great legal luminary. But his later efforts made him the redeemer of all downtrodden communities,” he said, adding that the problem was not in the cartoon but on where it was put up.

“Print it in magazines and newspapers. That is your right. But you cannot have it in textbooks,” he said.

Thirumavalavan clarified that while the textbook has been in circulation since 2006, it was only in April this year that it was brought to his notice. A careful reading “exposed” the “bias” in portrayal of several issues, including what happened in the Constitution’s drafting committee.

“Historical facts have been hidden. Nowhere in that chapter it has been mentioned that Ambedkar was the chairman of the committee. When you carry a cartoon ridiculing him for the delay in the drafting process, why did they not mention a single word about the exhaustive explanation given for the delay by Ambedkar himself?” questioned the VCK leader.

#VCK #Thirumavalavan #NCERT #Ambedkar #Cartoon

The cartoon and the men

When the whole Ambedkar cartoon fiasco broke out in the parliament earlier this month, I was in quite a fix as to the stand I personally would like to take on this issue.

There in front of me was the cartoon, splashed on the front pages of The Hindu with a report on the proceedings in the parliament. Member of Parliament from my State, Thirumavalavan, was one of the first few to raise voice against the caricature. It showed the now deified icon of the Dalit community, B R Ambedkar, riding a snail that is the Indian constitution, with Nehru, the tallest nationalist icon, holding a whip lash nearby. The drawing was supposedly a humorous take on the slow pace of the drafting of our Constitution in 1949 and has been in existence in various forms since then.

My initial impression on the controversy was influenced by my marked suspicion on the figures involved in the whole issue. Thirumavalavan is known in the Tamil political scene for his "somersaults." For political gains, the man had been silent on an array of decisions by subsequent State governments that had adversely affected the Dalit community over the years. Such a figure hardly inspires any trust, especially when he invokes the now dreaded "hurt sentiments" argument.

That the UPA decided to field Kapil Sibal to take on the marauding MPs was even more perplexing. His decision to immediately apologise for the inclusion of the cartoon and order an inquiry was hardly surprising, given his penchant to censure even the slightest of dissent.

Also, apprehensions were raised on the timing of the controversy. After all, the cartoon has been in the textbook since 2006 and hardly a finger was raised in protest. Why Thiruma took such a long time to stumble upon the cartoon is a question that required some thinking.

Over the years, given my minimum experience in interacting with economically backward Dalits, I have realised that not many share the views of their leaders when it came to a number of issues. But this does not, in any sense, point to a lack of understanding of issues among Dalits. In the recent past, Dalits in Tamil Nadu have shown more political awareness than perhaps all other communities put together.

So it is but natural that I decided to test this issue of the alleged "derogatory" cartoon with the most common of Dalits on the streets. The testimonials I received were enlightening and at the same time showed the casual way in which the media dealt with this issue.

Take the case of Mohan (name changed), a sanitary worker in Cuddalore, for example. Having failed to attend schooling, he could hardly read a sentence even in the vernacular. Thus, accusations that he would have already been brainwashed by media reports and campaigns could hardly hold ground.

When I showed the copy of the cartoon to him and explained the reported context behind the drawing, Mohan was first sympathetic towards the artist. "Even in government offices, unless you put pressure nothing happens sir," he said, having a closer look at the figures on the paper.

However, after a prolonged pass, Mohan began to articulate his impression on the cartoon. "I think there is something wrong with the cartoon. You told me that Constitution (Arasiyal Sasanam in Tamil) took about three years. Is it not very important for our country? What is wrong in people taking more time to work on it? If something had gone wrong, who will suffer? Even the Taluk office takes 2 months to issue certificates for us" he pointed out.

His friend Vasu, holding iron rods to poke into the sewer, joined the conversation. "Sir, look at the cartoon. The crowd around Ambedkar is smiling when Nehru is trying to hit him. If delay in the work was the issue, should their faces not showcase anxiety. It is only when people see a wicked man punished will they laugh and feel happy. Was our Ambedkar a wicked man?" he asked, now fully engrossed in the picture.

When they finished with their initial interpretation of the cartoon, I further probed them to check if what MPs claimed as the sentiment of the masses was indeed true. So I asked them if they felt insulted by the caricature of Ambedkar in the drawing and if it would bother them if they find it in the textbook of their children.

"The whole issue could be portrayed in a more dignified way sir. Why should anybody beat anyone? Here, it is as though Ambedkar is at fault. If my child reads this in school, he will probably think Ambedkar was a useless person who was very slow when he was actually the person who gave up his life for people like us," they said.

So do they want the cartoon to be lifted from the book? "Yes," they smiled, before going back to the man hole.

Mohan and Vasu were not alone. I interviewed eight Dalits, including two women, from various professions and all of them were of the view that the cartoon was insensitive and needed revision.

It might be the case that the intention of the politician was to fire the controversy and earn mileage. But perhaps there is some truth to what they claim. Like one columnist said, when the Constitution that the book tried to explain could be amended over a 100 times, why not a school text book? Is that not a democratic process in itself, rather than rigidly holding on to the argument of "freedom of expression?" Just because the issue was raised by politicians, does it mean it cannot be real?

What surprised me though was that no media house in the country decided to go and field these questions on the ground.

(Views in the write-up are personal and not reflect that of my employer)

'Amend norms, avoid flak for thermal plants': National Green Tribunal

Sruthisagar Yamunan

CHENNAI: In a significant move, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) to revise guidelines for setting up thermal power projects in the country within three months "to avoid future controversies."

The direction was part of its order issued on Wednesday striking down the Environment Clearance (EC) awarded to the 2640 MW coal-fired plant of Nagarjuna Construction Company, coming up at Sompeta in Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh.

A bench comprising of Justice A S Naidu and G K Pandey (expert member), observed that the guidelines relating to thermal power plants, relied upon by the MoEF in this instant case, were not exhaustive nor has taken care of many factors affecting environment.

"The changed scenario, scientific developments and change in technology mandates that the siting criteria as well as guidelines for setting up Thermal Power Stations (TPPs) should be revised to bring it in par with the modern techniques to suit the present environmental condition and to protect the ecologically sensitive areas," the order said, adding that the MoEF was still guided by the siting criteria formulated way back in 1987.

The tribunal observed that while an exercise to revise the guidelines was initiated in 2009, the MoEF had not arrived at any conclusion. Precautionary principles mandate that the guidelines should clearly spell out "Go" and "No Go" areas for locating TPPs so that the environmental issues could be internalised from project formation stage.

"We, therefore, direct the MoEF to frame new guidelines and siting criteria with the observations made in this paragraph for TPPs and file a copy thereof before this Tribunal within a period of three months hence," the direction said.

Conviction to study takes them to top

Sruthisagar Yamunan

CHENNAI: They might be condemned prisoners waiting for their turn to the gallows, but such uncertainty has not deterred their conviction to study.

Perarivalan and Murugan, two of the three accused facing death row for assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, came out with flying colours in the Class XII results declared on Tuesday, with the former scoring a whopping 91 per cent in total and the latter a centum in Commerce.

The two, along with Santhan, have challenged their capital punishment in the courts after their clemency petition was turned down by the President. The case was subsequently transferred from the Madras High Court to the Supreme Court, where it is currently pending.

Additional Director General of Police (Prisons), S K Dogra, told Express that all 35 prisoners who took the Higher Secondary examination this year have come out successful. Forty-year-old Perarivalan, who scored 1096 out of 1200 (91.33 per cent), topped the list of prisoners in performance. He obtained 198 in Commerce and 185 in Tamil.

Perarivalan was closely followed by Soundarapandian, a life convict in Madurai. He notched up a score of 1080 (90 per cent), scoring over 180 marks in three subjects. Forty one-year-old Murugan, the other death row convict in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, scored a centum in Commerce, a subject that saw a marked dip in the overall number of centums this year.

In all, he managed to register 82 per cent.

Expressing joy over her son Perarivalan’s performance, an emotional Arpudham Ammal told Express over the phone that it would be 22 years on June 10 since her son was picked up for questioning by the CBI in the assassination case. “I have not seen him outside courts and jails after that day. I will meet him and wish him day after tomorrow. I am happy that he has ignored the sword hanging over his head and has achieved this,” she said, with her voice cracking.

Dogra said that he was extremely happy with the performance of the prisoners. “Some 19 persons took the exam last year. This year it almost doubled and we have got 100 per cent result. This is extremely encouraging and shows that prisoners could be taken in the right path with motivation,” he observed, adding that 31 of the 35 prisoners were life convicts.

#Rajiv Gandhi #Santhan #Murugan #Perarivalan #Convicts #Death Penalty #Indian Express

Dreams of record shattered for farmer

Sruthisagar Yamunan

CHENNAI: Karunakaran still remembers that hot summer afternoon in April 2011 when he was gleaming with pride in his 7 acre orchard at the Maligampatt village, Panruti. After 20 years of toil with his Jackfruit tress, he had managed to produce a fruit that weighed close to 50 kilograms more than the one currently placed in the Guinness Book of World Records.

"When I took the fruit to the officials, they said it was a miracle," points out the pensive farmer, with his hands caressing a damaged bark of a once mighty Jackfruit Tree in his farm.

It was then that he decided to check if his fruits were eligible for making it to the record books. The farmer began scrupulously weighing all his produce and noting down the figures. By the time he reached the end of the season in 2011, Karunakaran claims his laborers communicated to him the news of a fruit weighing a whopping 81 kg. The fruit from Hawaii that currently holds the record for being the heaviest fruit weighed 34.4 kg, he claims.

However, as Karunakaran had no idea about the procedure to apply for the record books, he let go the opportunity last year. However, when he took it to the notice of the Horticulture officials, the farmer was told what his achievement had been and information about the application process to Guinness was obtained.

Karunakaran then vowed to break the record in the current season, for which he began his works late last September. Each tree in his orchard was given 50 to 60 kilograms of goat manure, finely grained and mixed with water before application.

The farmer also steadfastly observed the advice given by agriculturists and even spent a few thousand extra to provide micro nutrients to his trees. "The fertilizer prices had sky rocketed but I still followed the recommendations," he says, recollecting his ordeal in arranging for the extra money.

All the efforts began to show results when the tress started flowering with jest in late December. It was then that he saw the bulletin on the TV that Thane was approaching Cuddalore coast. When he visited the farm on the morning of the landfall, his entire orchard was flattened.

"Not only did my dream of the record get ruined, my entire investment of Rs 3 lakh was gone in a jiffy. Some of the tress were also completely uprooted," he observes.

Karunakaran now says that he needs to rebuild from scratch. He hopes that the compensation provided by the government would be further enhanced soon to help hundreds of Jack Fruit farmers like him left in lurch by nature's fury.

Prices spiked as cyclone Thane swallowed Panruti

Sruthisagar Yamunan

CHENNAI: The damage that Cyclone Thane wreaked in Cuddalore is now being felt in different parts of the State. Jackfruit vendors now say that the influx of the famous Panruti variety has gone down by a whopping 90 per cent this season, upping the price several notches.

The cyclone crossed between Puducherry and Cuddalore in December, devastating farm fields on its way. The Agriculture Department recorded extensive damage to crops of various varieties, which was close to 100 per cent in some cases.

Officials in Panruti, which produces what is considered the juiciest variety of the fruit in the country, say cashew and jackfruit have similar flowering cycles occurring between December and February. Utmost care is required in tending to the trees at this time. However, all calculations of the farmers were of no avail this season as the devastating cyclone razed over 80 per cent of the 1,200 hectares in which jackfruit trees are hervested. “The flowers and the tender unripe fruit were blown away,” said Kanakasabai, Deputy Director of Horticulture in Cuddalore.

Farmers say that while about 50 tonnes of the fruit are normally harvested from a hectare of plantation, the figures were between 0.5 and 1 tonne in certain fields. This reduction in supply has spiked the price of Panruti jackfruits by about `7,000 per tonne.

In Chennai, this has had an effect on prices in the end market. According to Jayaraman, President of the Koyambedu Market Anna Podu Sangam, prices of have gone up by almost 40 per cent. “What was selling for `200 a piece has touched `280 to `300 this season,” he says. “Now we spend a lot to transport the fruits from Theni, which is showing on the end price. Moreover, these other varieties are not preferred here,” he adds.

MSU ignored partners’ fee loot

Sruthisagar Yamunan

CHENNAI: That private institutions flout rules and charge excessive fee is an accusation often leveled by students and parents. When it comes to distance education courses offered by the Manonmaniam Sundaranar University (MSU) through technical collaboration between 2008 and 2011, however, such allegations have been utterly true, according to the CAG.

Official documents with Express reveal that several private collaborators, with whom the MSU entered into agreements, fleeced students by charging a fee that was, in some cases, more than 40 times the structure approved by the varsity.

Take the sub centre of Ygen Management Consulting Services in Bangalore, for example. The audit note by the CAG office says this organisation collected `4,70,000 per student for the MBA course as against MSU’s fee of `10,230. “Y Gen admitted 506 students for MBA courses during 2010-2011 and collected an excess fee totaling `23.26 crore for this course alone during 2010-2011,” observes the report.

MET Corporate B School, the sub centre of ICE Mumbai, went a step further and charged `5.50 lakh for the MBA course as against the prescribed fee. This institution enrolled 19 students in 2010-2011 and earned excess fee totaling `1.02 crore.

There were also other innovative methods employed by private parties. Sri Sai Institute, Punjab, collected `800 per month towards tution fee as “miscellaneous fee” in addition to the University fee structure. The institute admitted 841 students for BA Course (3 years) during 2010-2011. The tution fee thus worked out to `28,800 per student, earning an excess fee of `2.43 crore.

Documents also point out that several institutions also failed to pay the registration fee for the courses as mandated by the University and, therefore, earned all the profits without any significant investment.

Mess at MSU could affect 80,000 students

Sruthisagar Yamunan

CHENNAI: While the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), in a recent note, had pointed out that the Manonmaniam Sundaranar University (MSU) ran 329 unapproved programmes through “Satellite Centre Courses” between 2008 and 2011, fresh documents that have surfaced reveal that around 80,000 students across the country might be adversely affected, having enrolled in these courses, with the validity of their certificates coming under the scanner.

Express reported on April 21 that a ‘Factual Note’ prepared by the Deputy Accountant General (ISC II), P S Iyengar, had rapped the university for irregular franchising of courses, leading to a loss in revenue of `35.41 crore. This also gave technical collaborators – as many as 74 private educational institutions and trusts – undue benefit of `27.73 crore.

The audit note on the university, which is likely to be considered for inclusion in the CAG report of 2011-12, had observed that the varsity neither had the approval of the Distance Education Council (DEC) nor the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), for the courses.

However, fresh documents, available with Express, reveal that the private collaborators had gone on an overdrive in recruiting students for these courses between 2009 and 2011 during the tenure of the former vice-chancellor.

According to an inter-departmental note within the university, circulated in June 2011 between the top decision making authorities in the varsity in relation with funds for printing, the number of students enrolled in the courses offered by the institution’s Directorate of Distance and Continuous Education (DDCE) touched a whopping 61,923 in 2010-2011.

Informed sources in the loop said that the rate of enrolment to these courses increased with the introduction of the technical

collaboration in 2008.

MSU loses Rs.35.41 crore via satellite centres

Sruthisagar Yamunan

CHENNAI: Indiscriminate franchising of courses at the Manonmaniam Sundaranar University led to a revenue loss of `35.41 crore to the varsity and undue benefit of `27.73 crore to private technical collaborators, according to an audit note by Comptroller and Auditor General of India.

In a ‘Factual Note’ sent to the Higher Education Secretary in March, a copy of which is available with Express, the Deputy Accountant General (ISC II), P S Iyengar, stated that the Tirunelveli-based university started a new mode of education styled ‘Satellite Centre Courses’ in 2008-2009 in approved institutions on a “revenue sharing basis.” Subsequently, the varsity signed a Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) with 74 private trusts/educational institutions between November 2008 and March 2011 and permitted them to conduct courses of the university through face to face, online and virtual classroom platforms under distance education mode throughout the country.

This apart, the varsity allowed the technical collaborators to conduct their own courses and examinations and “agreed to allow University’s degrees or diplomas for all the courses”, the note stated.

The audit scrutiny of records of technical collaboration programme in the directorate of distance and continuing education revealed that “there was no transparent system in selection of technical collaborators.”

In a deviation from convention, the inspection of the premises of educational institutions for selection as technical collaborators was done on the “oral orders vice-chancellor of the University” and “was not brought to the knowledge of the Senate”.

The university permitted the technical collaborators to conduct courses ranging from one to 323 during 2008-11 “but failed to levy or collect registration fee as per the approved guidelines resulting in the loss of `33.88 crore.”

As per the guidelines, every institution willing to run courses shall apply to the Registrar with a payment of `50,000 as registration fee for each course, the note said.

The report added that, “the university did not follow the fee structure approved by the Senate but fixed lower fee for technical collaboration courses”. This resulted in a loss of `2.33 crore during 2010-11 alone, the note observed.

329 unapproved courses at this University

Sruthisagar Yamunan

CHENNAI: In what could come as a shock to thousands of students across the country, a report from the Comptroller and Auditor General of India has revealed that the Manonmaniam Sundaranar University (MSU) had been offering 329 programmes through ‘Technical Collaboration’ from 2008 under Distance Education Mode without approvals. A ‘Factual Note’ prepared by the Deputy Accountant General (ISC II), P S Iyengar, has observed that the varsity neither had the approval of the Distance Education Council (DEC) or from other bodies like All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) for the courses. “Approval of DEC is mandatory for all institutions for commencing course for degree/diploma/certificate through distance mode,” the ‘confidential’ note, a copy of which is available with Express and sent to the Higher Education Secretary in March, has observed. The note, which is likely to be included in the CAG report for 2011-2012, stated that the varsity violated instructions of the DEC by franchising 74 private institutions to run the University courses “beyond its jurisdiction”. Also, the varsity disregarded the instructions of the State government in 2010 to stop conducting classes for such collaborative courses outside its jurisdiction. “It is pertinent to mention that after the receipt of the above communication, the University entered into MoU with five educational institutions to run the courses...” the note observed. The document said the University had also “unauthorisedly allowed” the collaborators to franchise sub-centres to conduct the programmes, which led to around 1,060 such centres running the University courses throughout the country.